Improvement in cleaning wool



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIO M. RUSOHHAUPT AND JNO. GEO. PERZEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLEANING WOOL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,647, dated July 26,1864; antedated April 29, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that we, FREDERIG M. RUSOH- HAUPT and JOHN GEORGE PERziJL,both in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certainnew and Improved Mode in Separating Wool From Vegetable Matters, asburrs, strawy, and woody substances, 850.; and we do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description thereof.

The nature of our invention consists in subjecting the raw wool to achemical process, by which the substances mentioned are destroyed so farthat they afterward can easily and entirely be removed by simplemechanical action, rendering the wool in such a proper condition as hashitherto not been practiced.

It is well known that the comparatively low price of the different kindsof wools which contain the above-mentioned substances is not as muchcaused by the presence of them as mere impurities, but by thecircumstance that they cannotberemovedwithoutthegreatest trouble. Thiswill be at once understood when the pepeculiar fibrous character of theburrs, for example, is remembered. Indeed it has been found almostimpossible to construct suitable machines for rendering the eiiect asrequired, not to talk about the great reduction in the quantity of thewool caused by such an operation. \Ve will only make the remark that, byexamining such wools cleaned and prepared by this method, either loose,as yarns, or self, as woven fabrics, it will be seen that they possessavery rough character caused by the remaining of many small woody orstrawy (burr) fragments. Taking this in consideration, therefore, itwill be conceived that the value of these different kinds of wool wouldbe considerably increased when their cleanin g process could beaccordingly improved.

To realize this and other advantages is the object of our invention,which consists in subjectin g the raw wools to a chemical process, bywhich the impurities mentioned are in so far destroyed that theyafterward can easily and entirely be removed by simple mechanicalaction.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill now proceed to describe the modes opercmcli.

We take about five hundred gallons of a somewhat sirupy solution ofchloride of zinc, chloride of calcium, or other similar chlorides, or,instead of these, alike quantity of an equivalent proportion of dilutedsulphuric acid, more or less, according to circumstances, and bring intoit as much raw wool (which is prepared by simple washing in order toremove soluble substances, excrements, &c., as much as possible) as maybe convenient to work with, and let remain in it for about two hours, orlonger, according to the quantity of burrs, &c., which it contains. Thewool is now taken out and carefully pressed to remove surplus liquid,whereof it is brought in a close room, which is heated up to about 100centigrade. 5 or 10 may be allowed when it seems necessary; butit mustbe observed'with care, otherwise the quality of wool will be reduced. Itis of the greatest importance that the temperature is equal on allplaces, which may be observed by a proper construction of the heatingarrangement (a similar construction as the maltroaster may beconvenient) and by displacing the wool from time to time. The process isto end as soon as the burrs, &c., are hard, partly carbonized, andeasily removable by rubbing or pressing between the fingers. To removethe so-far-destroyed impurities entirely, it-is only necessary to bringthe wool on a common rnnnnnio M. RUSOHHAUPT. JOHN GEORGE PERZEL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. K. TAYLOR, JACOB NEUBAUER.

